Journey
by hamsterpickle1313
Summary: Jenna gets kidnapped. Again. Septimus and Beetle try to rescue her. Really bad summary, I know! Rated T just to be safe. Discontinued.
1. Beginning

Chapter One

Marcia Overstrand was having a bad day. She had woken up to find her apprentice gone before his **Time Test** and had failed to sort out a squabble between her stove and coffeepot. Cranky, tired, and hot, Marcia had been knocked into a pile of dragon droppings by Billy Pot. After telling Billy that _unless he starts watching where he's going, Spit Fyre will have a new dragon watcher and there will be no more Billy Pot in the castle, _an extremely exasperated, dirty, and grumpy ExtraOrdinary wizard **transported** herself to the palace lawn, much to the delight of passer-byes in the street. Marcia purposefully strode towards the dining room and told the door to _get out of the way_. It shot open and hit the wall with a terrified bang.

Marcia sighed. As if she didn't have enough to do without tracking her upstart apprentice all over the place! "Septimus Heap!" she bellowed, causing Jenna, Beetle, Nicko, Snorri, and Septimus to jump. "Are you aware that you have a **time test** in precisely two hours' time?"

Septimus, who, until that point had been having a rather enjoyable lunch until that time, couldn't stop staring at the dragon droppings in Marcia's hair.

"Well?" demanded Marcia.

"Yes," replied Septimus sullenly.

"You will come back to the tower with me, now. Or have you forgotten what happened last time you almost missed an exam?"

Septimus winced. "Wasn't my fault," he muttered.

Marcia pretended not to hear. She strode out the door, leaving Septimus alone with his friends and family. "Bye guys," said miserably.

"Bye."

"See ya."

Bye Sep."

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

"Good Luck."

Marcia stuck her head back into the room. "Are you _coming_, Septimus?"

Septimus sighed and left.

Outside, Marcia slowed down. "Septimus," she said irritably. "I have quite enough to do without you wandering off to your heart's content. Especially before your biggest exam of the year, thank you very much."

"But you said I could have the morning off," protested Septimus.

"I said you could be relieved of your apprentice duties to study."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Not."

"Go to your room and study."

Septimus knew that there was no arguing with Marcia. Especially when she was in a bad mood. Wondering why Marcia was so grumpy, Septimus put the stairs on **fast forward mode** and sped to the top. Ordinary wizards on the floors below the twentieth waiting for the stairs going down were quite surprised when a streak of green zoomed past their noses, followed by a streak of purple. Septimus, feeling quite dizzy, stepped off at the top floor and trudged into his room. He was steeling himself to read The Theory of Time when a ghost flew through his window and landed with a muffled "Oomph" on the bed.

"Alther!" exclaimed Septimus happily

"Hello Septimus," replied Alther. "Are you up for a **flyte** later?"

"Can't," replied Septimus glumly. "I have a **Time Test** and then Marcia said I _am not allowed to use that blasted __**flyte charm**__ without permission or it is going back in the __**apprentice urn**__ where it belongs_. And she's really grumpy for whatever reason so she'll definitely say no."

"Ahh," said Alther. "And I supposed she still calls me an irresponsible old bat, does she?"

Septimus grinned and nodded.

"I expect she's just worried about you," continues Alther. "She's gotten stressed out before every exam you take since you disappeared. _And_ that contrary old coffeepot was giving her a hard time today. _And _she bumped into Marcellus yesterday, which always makes her upset. Don't be too worried about it. Anyway, I have something that might make studying more enjoyable. Used it myself before my time test instead of using _that_." He looked with distaste at The Theory of Time, which lay unopened on Septimus' bed. "Wait here." With that, Alther flew out the window, dragging a book on a warm gust of wind. The wind failed, the book fell with a loud crash on the floor, and Alther, surprised from the disappearing weight of the wind and book, did three complete somersaults and **passed through** Septimus' door. He returned, managing to look sick and sheepish at the same time. Septimus chuckled, and Alther added affronted to the mixture, which made Septimus laugh even harder.

Suddenly, Marcia's footsteps echoed through the hall outside the door. Alther, who _really_ didn't want to anger Marcia, flew out the window. Septimus had just composed himself, thrown himself on the floor to hide the book, which was by Marcellus Pye, and opened The Theory of Timewhen Marcia stuck her head into the room.

"What were all those thumps?" she asked.

"Alther," Septimus pretended to be immersed in his book. Marcia was not fooled.

"Septimus," she said irritably. "just yesterday, you told me that was the most boring book ever written. Don't pretend to be interested in it now."

Septimus looked up. "What?"

"Why was Alther here?" Marcia asked suspiciously.

"Wanted me to go on a flight. I told him no."

"Good. That irresponsible old bat wouldn't know if you had fallen out of the sky if a cloud bit him and said so. Fifteen minutes left to study." Septimus stifled a chuckle.

Marcia looked at him and left. Septimus burst out laughing.

Alther flew in. "I heard that!" he said indignantly. "I wonder if Marcia has forgotten how I pulled her out of the quake ooze and noticed it from ten miles away!" With an extremely petulant look on his face, Alther flew out the window to go meet Alice at the market.

Finally alone, Septimus began to read The Glasses and Time by Marcellus Pye.

**A/N: I know it's really boring so far but it gets better, I promise. R&R!**


	2. Free Time

Chapter Two

In the meantime, Jenna, Nicko, and Beetle were trying to find something to do. It was one of those long summer days that is hot and humid and slow and everyone just relaxes on. First they tried to find a rumored secret passageway from the Palace to the Wizard Tower, which failed. Then, Beetle suggested going for a ride in the ice tunnels on his old inspection clerk sled (which wouldn't work for Merrin Meredith, much to Beetle's delight). However Nicko, who had heard all about Beetle's sled driving from Septimus, politely declined. Then Jenna proceeded to argue with him for 23 minutes straight about Beetle's sled driving capabilities. Not surprisingly, Nicko had to go meet Snorri at the market.

"Come on Beetle. Now that chicken's gone, can we go on that sled ride?"

Beetle turned red and said, "Yeah. Sure."

"Not if you don't want to."

"No, no, of course I want to."

Beetle was nonplussed. Was he supposed to do double reverse skid turns with Jenna on the sled? Or was he supposed to make the sled go slow, as Septimus liked to? He decided to start out slow and gradually get faster.

"Race you to Marcellus'!" yelled Jenna over her shoulder as she suddenly sprinted off down Wizard Way.

"Hey, not fair!" protested Beetle, panting to keep up.

"Is too!" laughed Jenna.

"Not."

"Too."

"Not."

"Too."

"Oh, whatever!"

"Ha!"

They reached Snake Slipway and rang Marcellus' bell.

"Apprentice, tis you?" came a faint reply.

"No Marcellus, it's Beetle and Jenna. Sep couldn't come, he's in an exam," called Jenna.

"Ahh," said Marcellus, opening the door a crack and peering out. "Very well Esmer-Jenna. Come in. And you, speedy scribe." Beetle grinned. Marcellus was the only person who still called him a scribe. Marcellus opened the door all the way and ushered them in with a bow, causing nearby people in the street to look at him weirdly.

"Hey Marcellus, can we use your entrance to the ice tunnels?" asked Jenna.

"Oh, yes," replied Marcellus. "This way." He led the way down the dimly lit hallway, despite the fact that ever since Beetle had gotten fired from the Manuscriptorium they had been using his entrance and new the way quite well. Jillie Dinn had neglected to confiscate Beetle's old seal, and he had not deemed it necessary to remind her.

Down in the ice tunnels, Beetle untied the Inspection Clerk sled from where he had left it, still undisturbed because Merrin had given up trying to actually inspect the seals. He got on followed by Jenna.

Beetle started the sled off at a slow crawl, going even slower than Septimus. Apparently that was not how he was supposed to go with Jenna on the sled.

"Go faster you lazy lump!" she shouted over the wind whistling through the cold, icy tunnel. Beetle went faster. Jenna was not an easy person to refuse. Beetle soon got over his awkwardness and even showed off a little. He decided that Jenna was just as nice a person to have on a sled as Septimus, especially when she put her arms around his waist to avoid falling off.

All too soon, they were back at Marcellus' entrance, luckily without any encounters with an ice wraith. They had arranged the day before to meet Septimus on the Palace lawn and go to Ma Custards together, so they said good bye to Marcellus and headed towards the Palace lawn, Jenna questioning Beetle on the specifics of how to do a double reverse skid turn and a sled jump, which Beetle quite enjoyed. By the time they reached the Palace lawn, they were both feeling a little closer than just friends, and Beetle was very glad that no one had any reason to kidnap Jenna now.

**A/N: I was just at camp so I didn't really pay attention to updating stuff, even if it wasn't _that _long.**


	3. An Unfortunate End to the Day

Chapter Three

Septimus arrived only a few minutes after Beetle and Jenna, running across the Palace lawn and waving a brown sheet of paper.

"I passed! I passed! I passed my time test!" he yelled excitedly.

"Um… Is that supposed to mean something to me?" asked Jenna, teasing.

"No," replied Septimus sarcastically. "It's only the biggest exam of the year."

"Nice," said Beetle, grabbing the paper. "Why'd you miss Written Question A, D, X, Z, A1, A120, and Z500?"

"That's what Marcia said!" exclaimed Septimus.

"Marciaish!" yelled Jenna. "Beetle's Marciaish!"

"Hey, you're more like Marcia than I am!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Not!"

"Anyway!" Septimus interrupted. "Marcia said I could have the afternoon off! We should go get more fizz root from Ma Custard's."

"Last time they didn't have any good flavors." Beetle said dejectedly.

"They might this time. Told ya you were Marciaish!"

The three adolecents ran to Ma Custard's, shoving each other the whole way. However, just outside the door, a dark stranger on a dark horse skidded up next to Jenna, grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and rode away.

After a moment of shock, Septimus yelled to Beetle, "Hold my arm!"

"_What?_"

"Hold my arm."

Beetle did as he was told. Septimus **appeared **on the North Gate drawbridge with Beetle, just as the dark horseman jumped the widening gap between the bridge and the opposite side of the moat. Without realizing how late it was getting, Beetle and Septimus had gotten to the bridge a few seconds to late. The drawbridge closed for the night with a final clunk behind them.

"Oh pigs!" said Beetle. "Pigs, pigs, pigs, pigs, _pigs_!"

Septimus was too horrified to say anything.


End file.
